A variety of recent research has shown that the academic achievement gap has been growing between low- and middle-income students. Socioeconomic status has proven to have a large influence on academic attainment as well as the educational opportunities that a child is offered. This paper argues that, because poverty significantly affects children during the after-school and summer hours, extracurricular activities are an important way of closing the rich-poor achievement gap. Moreover, I hope to show that music programs have specific benefits for low-income children. First, I summarize the existing literature surrounding the socioeconomic achievement gap, extracurricular programs, and music education. Then, I review the results of my study of the academic and non-cognitive attainments of urban low-income students who participate in two extracurricular music programs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Trenton, New Jersey. In a time of decreased funding for extracurricular programs and the arts, this research has implications for educational policy and practice. The following are appended: (1) Data Tables; and (2) References. (Contains 7 tables.)